Wes Grubbs

Wesley Grubbs is the founder of Pitch Interactive, a data visualization and interactive studio that focuses on new technologies to solve complex needs. With a mix of both creative talent and programming ability, Wesley and his team build visuals that are as fluid and artistic as they are statistically sound. Their designs engage and educate viewers in what would otherwise be daunting volumes of information.

Reflecting the philosophy that data visualization should be strongly connected to the lives and events from which it is derived, Wesley's work is inspired by forms in nature as well as his research into human and economic behavior. Wesley dissects large datasets in search of meaningful and often hidden patterns that serve to determine the shape and form that best tells a story. His aim is for visual depictions to inform, inspire and stimulate both sides of the brain.

Pitch Interactive's visuals have been showcased by major national and international publications including WIRED, Scientific American, Popular Science, SPIN, Fortune, GEO and Esquire magazines. His work was part of the Science Express train, a rolling science museum in Germany and China by the Max Planck Foundation and also a large interactive micro-tile wall inside the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Wesley's body of work spans illustrations, physical installations, console game user interfaces, applications, websites and textiles. Among many accolades, Pitch Interactive recently had three works on display at the MoMA's TalkToMe exhibit in New York.

Session: Generative Cognition and Memory

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple" - Oscar Wilde. Our comprehension and understanding of our surroundings and new information result from amazing processes within our brains. While Wes is far from a neural scientist, he will explain some of the inner workings of the human mind and how we can use this to visualize information, build user interfaces, explore and question everything in order to make sense of the perceived realities. While this path is anything but simple, Wes will provide creative-and technically-oriented minds with a machete of thought to hack through the complex jungle of story telling with data.